JMD Devotional 158 Proverbs 4:23-27 Square One
23Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
24Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you.
25Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.
26Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.
27Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil.
(NIV) Vs 26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
(KJV) Vs 26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
(The Message) 23Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.
24Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
25Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.
26Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
27Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
God keeps bringing me back to this passage, particularly verse 26. There is a less-regenerate part of me that likes to keep options open, to live by situational ethics, to 'just wing it'; but God's counsel is to plan in advance to be a man of well-defined integrity. Every scene has multiple potential outcomes; play the director and roll several cuts through your mind; but keep rolling past the immediate gratification to the predictable outcome: all sin leads to death. Death of relationships, reputation, achievement and ultimately the body and soul. Be sure your sin will find you out!
Dear God,
Jesus was tempted in all ways and was yet without sin; Lord help me to overcome by Your presence and power in my life. Many things try to take over my heart; but You are the only gentleman who stands at the door and knocks. Help me to secure the windows, to change the locks, to give You the only Master Key. May I fully embrace what You are asking of me in this passage and obey from the heart.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
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24Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you.
25Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you.
26Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright.
27Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil.
(NIV) Vs 26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
(KJV) Vs 26Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
(The Message) 23Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.
24Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
25Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions.
26Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
27Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.
God keeps bringing me back to this passage, particularly verse 26. There is a less-regenerate part of me that likes to keep options open, to live by situational ethics, to 'just wing it'; but God's counsel is to plan in advance to be a man of well-defined integrity. Every scene has multiple potential outcomes; play the director and roll several cuts through your mind; but keep rolling past the immediate gratification to the predictable outcome: all sin leads to death. Death of relationships, reputation, achievement and ultimately the body and soul. Be sure your sin will find you out!
Dear God,
Jesus was tempted in all ways and was yet without sin; Lord help me to overcome by Your presence and power in my life. Many things try to take over my heart; but You are the only gentleman who stands at the door and knocks. Help me to secure the windows, to change the locks, to give You the only Master Key. May I fully embrace what You are asking of me in this passage and obey from the heart.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 6:08 AM
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